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Tayberry brown sugar muffins

It’s summer berry glut time. In the past week, I’ve made raspberry kuchen (it’s like foccacia but sweet), gooseberry crumble, redcurrant pudding…and the freezer is starting to be filled. Note – it isn’t yet empty of last year’s haul.

The redcurrant haul

Raspberry kuchen prior to cooking. It’s a great bake for brunch.

The bushes are still dripping with blackcurrants but I’m reluctant to pick in this wet weather as they go mouldy in an instant. And in the meantime, we’re being given bags of beautiful fruit. These cherries came from a Tamworth tree at the weekend.

Still life cherries and nectarines

Which is how I came across these tayberries, from Matt’s parent’s allotment. I have never cooked or even seen a tayberry before! It’s essentially a big raspberry, but slightly more dense with an elongated tip. The best thing for fruit, I think, is to keep it simple. Tayberry muffin anyone?

Tayberries

Tayberry brown sugar muffins

Of course, these cakes works with most summer berries – raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrant. Go easy on the fruit though; not only do these berries have an intense flavour, adding too many changes the texture of your cake. Try these warm for pudding, or cold for afternoon tea. Or breakfast. It’s all good.

Tayberry brown sugar muffins

110g self-raising flour

150g plain flour

2tsp baking powder (level)

175g caster sugar

50g light brown sugar

100g butter

225ml milk

2 eggs

large handful of tayberries (or raspberries)

flaked almonds, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 180c. Line a 12x muffin tin with paper cases.

Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and combine – get rid of any sugary lumps with your fingers. Melt the butter into the milk, either on the hob or in the microwave. Using a wooden spoon, mix the milk mixture into the dry ingredients to make a smooth and very wet batter – don’t over mix else you’ll have tough muffins. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the batter.

Divide equally between the cases and add three-four tayberries to each muffin. Sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until risen and golden. Eat!